Air, water and land transport explored in lifelong learning course

Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 10:56 am

Peter Ginnoccio

The Rappahannock Community College Educational Foundation’s Rappahannock Institute for Lifelong Learning (RILL) has lined up three experts to discuss various forms of transportation in its latest course, “Transport(s) of Delight!” The series will be held on Feb. 13, 20, and 27 (Wednesdays), 1-3 p.m., at Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury in Irvington.

In the first session of this course, Peter Ginnoccio will take a look at Hummel Field in Topping, Middlesex County. He will detail what happens at this typical general aviation airport, how it serves the county and the surrounding area, and what its economic impact has been. Next, Phil Williams will speak about the past, present, and future of railways in the United States, both passenger and freight. Lastly, Terri Thaxton will focus on how steamboats from Baltimore connected once-isolated rural areas to the outside world, changing the lives of people living along the Chesapeake Bay in terms of commerce, education, health, and socialization.

Peter Ginnoccio ran worldwide product support and customer service for four different jet manufacturers during his 40-year career as an aviation executive. Phil Williams holds an MBA with a concentration in transportation and logistics from the University of Maryland, and has extensive experience in the operations of the railway transportation system. Terri Thaxton was instrumental in developing the Steamboat Era Museum in Irvington, and has been its executive director for most of its eight-year existence.

Advance registration, with a tuition payment of $35, is required to take this course. For more information, please call Sharon Drotleff at RCC’s Educational Foundation office (804-333-6707, or toll-free at 877-722-3679), or e-mail her at sdrotleff@rappahannock.edu.